Core
Central Operation Runtime Entities, often abbreviated as COREs and colloquially stylized as Cores, are a major element in Watson Quest: A Tale of Two Worlds. They are a creation of Chroma Studios. Definition Cores are typically defined AIs capable of manipulating hard light constructs to create a body in the physical world. The AI that drives the Core system is highly advanced, enough so to grant Cores a high level of sentience, if not sapience. Cores are heavily customizable, from their appearance to their skills, to their personalities. Types There are two primary types of Cores: directed Cores and wielded Cores. Directed Cores make up the vast majority of Cores in use, and are typically most people's mental image of a what a Core is. They are separate entities from their Operator, with their own AIs and often with their own personalities. Wielded Cores, on the other hand, typically have little to no AI, and are - as the name implies - wielded as tools or weapons. Appearance The Core system was designed with customization in mind, so Cores come in a variety of shapes and sizes. All Cores start with the appearance of a Pawn, and are modified from there. In some cases, a Core is modified with custom abilities while still keeping an appearance similar to a Pawn. These Cores are referred to as "Pawn-Type" Cores. Although not standard, most directed Cores have a humanoid shape, while most wielded Cores bear an appearance similar to a tool or weapon of some sort. Operating a Core Both the electronics responsible for running a Core's AI and the hard light engine responsible for creating a Core's "body" are housed inside a single device called an Emblem. As such, most people use Emblems to control their Cores, although there are exceptions, such as Austin Lane's wrist-mounted computer terminal. A person who controls a Core is called an Operator, and the process of controlling a core is referred to as "operating" it. The exact method of operation varies from Core to Core, however. For example, wielded Cores such as Pop Culture can have their actions directly controlled by their Operator's movements, whereas directed Cores like Epsilon or Tempo Royale typically have commands relayed to them from one method or another. The sheer amount of customization offered in Emblem and Core technology means that there is no standard for how commands are given. Certain directed Cores are also shown to be able to operate autonomously. Abilities Projection A Core's main ability is to use the hard light engine in their Emblem to project themselves into the real world. All Cores are summoned from their respective Emblems, although they can return almost instantly to their Emblems anytime from anywhere. While in the real world, they are able to interact with physical objects, and generally do anything a real object would be able to. DX Space All Cores have the ability to access DX Space. Directed Cores can enter DX Space directly, where wielded Cores create a digital copy of the user and are operated manually from the real world. While in DX Space, all a Core's abilities function as normal. While a Core will always enter DX Space at the same point (based on where they accessed the space from), they can exit from any point by returning to their Emblem. Tricks Most Cores have a special, unique ability called a Trick. A Core's Trick typically bears a heavy influence on their combat style, and in some cases, their personality. Tricks can affect DX Space, and in some cases, the real world as well. Most Cores have a single Trick, however they can have multiple, as shown with MISSING. Trivia * By default, Cores follow Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. If a Core were to execute an action that would harm a human, subroutines hard coded into the Core's Emblem will cause the hard light projection to destabilize enough to pass through solid objects. ** This security measure can be bypassed, although it's incredibly difficult and highly illegal. Cores with this safety measure removed are called cracked Cores.